The producer of Maker’s Mark bourbon is cutting the amount of alcohol in each bottle to stretch every drop of the famous Kentucky whiskey.

The brand known for its red wax seal has been unable to keep up with demand that doubled in recent years.

So the bourbon maker is lowering the alcohol volume from 45 percent to 42 percent — or 90 proof to 84 proof.

Rob Samuels, chief operating officer for Maker’s Mark and grandson of the brand’s founder, says the change doesn’t alter the taste. He says the recipe and production process stays the same, except “a touch more water” will be added when the whiskey comes out of the barrel for bottling.

He says the change is permanent and will increase volume by about 6 percent.

Members of a Maine high school girls’ basketball team have been disciplined after a picture surfaced online of team members giving a Nazi salute.

The principal and athletic director at Greely High School in Cumberland said in a letter to parents that two girls appear to be giving the Adolf Hitler-style salute while a third girls sits between them. They say one team member has been nicknamed Hitler. All three girls are wearing their basketball uniforms.

The letter says “whether done in ignorance or with hate,” such behavior is “simply unacceptable.”

The Portland Press Herald reports the letter also said other “inappropriate and biased language” was used by team members.

Principal Dan McKeone says players have been disciplined, but he didn’t disclose the exact nature of the punishment.

Many people will tell you that they only smoke when they drink, and it is hard to argue that the two do compliment each other quite well. However, you may want to think twice about feeding your social smoking habit.

A new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs shows that smoking cigs while drinking will actually make your hangover the next day worse. Researchers found that people who drank heavily while smoking were more likely to have major hangovers the following day than those who just drink heavily.

The cause, is a chemical found in the tobacco smoke that is also created naturally by your body to clean out toxins when you tie one on. Therefore, combining alcohol and cigarettes actually overloads your system with toxins and chemicals and forces it to work doubly hard to rid itself of the foreign invaders.

So when you’re watching the big game, think about work tomorrow before you decide to give your body a double dose!

Do you see a gender equality battle brewing or what? To curse or not to curse…

Administrators at a Catholic high school in Northern New Jersey made their female students take a “no cursing pledge.” However, some people are up-in-arms because the male students did not have to take the same pledge.

The organizer of the movement and teacher at Queen of Peace High School, Lori Flynn, said that there is no gender bias involved. Stating that, while the male students weren’t asked to take the pledge, they were asked not to swear when girls are near.

Brother Larry Lavallee, the school’s principal, says the girls in their school have the foulest language, and they are simply trying to get ladies to act like ladies.

Girls at the school said they will try their best to stay true to their pledge, but they don’t understand why it doesn’t apply to all students.

Police say a man who led authorities on a chase in Nevada and Utah is a former NASCAR driver.

The Spectrum of St. George reports that police stopped Timothy Tyler Andrew Walker on Wednesday in southern Utah following a chase that began in Nevada. Authorities say Walker had marijuana, pills and open containers of alcohol in his luxury BMW sedan.

They also arrested a female passenger.

Walker competed in 28 NASCAR races before the association suspended him in 2007 for violating its drug policy. He drove in 19 NASCAR Nationwide series and nine Camping World Truck Series races during his career.

Walker stopped the black BMW after he drove over spike strips on the road, then ran away before being arrested.